Why Your iPhone’s Built‑In Sound Meter Is a Must‑Use Tool

Published Feb 8, 2026, 12:30 PM EST

Christine has been covering the consumer tech space for the last 20+ years - yes, before the iPhone was even invented! She has reviewed dozens of headphones and wireless earbuds, portable Bluetooth speakers, wearables, and more.

For the last 12+ years, she has also covered entertainment, writing in-depth TV show reviews and features for sites like WiFi HiFi, Movieweb, Collider, and CBR. If you're looking for a TV show recommendation, she'll be happy to oblige!

She earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree with a Double Major in Communications and Psychology from York University in her hometown of Toronto, Ontario Canada. Christine started her career working a tech business magazine, working her way up to editor. She switched to freelance in 2014.

When she's not working (which is rare!), Christine loves to spend time with her family and friends, and relax in front of the TV with a glass of wine and a hot new show, which is kind of still work! Follow her on Instagram and X at @christineTechCA.

It's no surprise that repeated exposure to loud sounds can damage your hearing. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, sounds below 70dB, the typical volume for a standard conversation, are safe for hearing. But repeated and long exposure to sounds louder than that can damage your hearing.

Everyone is exposed to louder sounds from time to time, whether at a concert, in a busy café, or while listening to music through headphones or speakers. But listening at a high level for extended periods can damage your hearing. But how do you know when loud is too loud and for too long? Apple has integrated a sound level meter into iPhone to help you figure that out by sending warnings and logging instances of sounds above 70dB, or whatever level you set. It's a feature you should be taking advantage of for many reasons.

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Don't blast tunes through your headphones

Prevent harm to your ears

Apple is less conservative with its numbers, but still says that repeated, long-term exposure to sound above 80dB can lead to permanent hearing damage. The idea with its features is to notify you if you are being exposed to sound levels that are too high, so you can take appropriate measures. This could be lowering the volume on your headphones, taking a break from loud environments, or even wearing earplugs to protect your hearing if you know you'll be exposed to loud sounds for an extended period.

When it comes to listening through headphones, swipe down from the top right of the phone to open Control Center. Hold your finger down on any blank spot, select "+ Add a Control" at the bottom, scroll down to Hearing Accessibility, and select Headphone Level. From here, whenever you connect headphones, you can tap this option to see the volume level in real time. It will display green when you're listening at an OK level, then turn yellow if it's too loud. From here, you can adjust volume while listening to music or even taking phone calls, so it's at a safer level. A good rule of thumb: if others can hear your audio when you have headphones on, it's too loud.

Headphone audio levels can also be viewed in the Health app, where they're automatically added from your compatible devices. You'll get the most accurate information when using Apple or Beats headphones or earbuds like the new Beats Powerbeats Fit that I love using. If you connect other headphones or speakers via USB-C, you'll get an estimate based on the volume of your device itself.

Environmental noise meter

Adjust your surroundings

What about the sounds around you? You might work in a place where there's constant loud music or in a busy office with frequent loud noises. Maybe you love to attend concerts. You can use the Apple Health app in partnership with a compatible Apple Watch. Once the smartwatch is set up and connected to your phone, and the Noise app is turned on, you can see Environmental Sound Levels.

It monitors exposure and sends warnings if sound levels are too high, both in the app and on the watch face itself. From there, you can move to a quieter space, pop in some earplugs, or request a quieter atmosphere. If the office is getting especially loud, for example, maybe it's a good time to take a break and go for lunch. Or if you know you'll be spending an extended time in a loud environment, like at a music festival, bring along headphones or earplugs to cancel out some of the noise while still allowing you to enjoy the event. If you travel often on long flights, since airplane sounds can be about 80dB, invest in a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones.

The app also shows a detailed history of exposure, including highlights like your average environmental sound levels over the last seven days and even from one year to the next. Make sure to turn Noise Notifications on from the Health app and set the Noise Threshold to or around 80dB.

Keep sound in check

Don’t risk your hearing health

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that listening to sound levels of 80dB or higher for more than 40 hours a week or up to 90dB for more than four hours per week can be damaging to your hearing. This means you're fine in a typically busy and relatively loud office for eight hours a day. But you should find a quieter setting after. So, using this sound level meter can help ensure you're keeping within these parameters and prompt you to make changes if you notice that you aren't.

There are other options, too. In Settings -> Sounds & Haptics, you can turn on Volume Limit for the built-in speaker and adjust the volume using a slider to control how loudly media plays through your phone. This is especially useful for younger kids who have more sensitive ears and hearing that is still developing. You might also want to consider getting them kid-friendly volume-limiting headphones that don't allow sound to go any higher than a safe level for their ears.

In the same Sound & Haptics menu, there's also an option called Reduce Loud Sounds that can create softer sound effects in music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and other media. This maintains the quieter details but won't shock your ears with loud booms, blasts, or even musical instruments or notes. There are third-party apps you can download as well if you want something more feature-rich to advise you of ambient sound levels, like NIOSH Sound Level Meter App, NoiSee, and Sound Meter X.

Making full use of both the headphone level meter built into the iPhone and the Environmental Noise Level feature when it's used in partnership with the Apple Watch can help you preserve and protect your hearing and hopefully reduce the likelihood of issues like tinnitus or hearing loss over time.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 headphones

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The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones are among the best you can get right now for noise cancelling, with adjustable levels in the app so you can ensure you're always listening at a safe level. Ideal for travel, you can wear them while commuting, even at concerts with transparency mode so you still hear the music without it being overbearing.